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The Wyvern was designed in 2660 as an urban warfare BattleMech for the Star League Defense Force. While considered slow when compared to other medium 'Mechs, and indeed vulnerable if forced to engage in open country, the Wyvern quickly proved itself to be one of the best urban combatants ever built. Thanks to its combination of weaponry, heavy armor and jump jets the Wyvern can take on and destroy 'Mechs well outside its weight class. Standard practice during battle was for the Wyvern to use its impressive maneuverability to move around obstacles other 'Mechs couldn't navigate and get behind an enemy to unleash considerable firepower on their exposed rear. Unfortunately the Wyvern proved to be too good at its job, which included not just urban defense and garrison duty but crowd control as well; few MechWarriors relished the task of pacifying a city and threatening unarmed protestors. Despite the stigma associated with it there were some MechWarriors who enjoyed piloting the Wyvern and were amongst the proudest in the SLDF.[2][3][4][5]

In the wake of the Star League's collapse the Wyvern continued to serve in the Successor States and the Maltex Corporation continued to build new Wyverns from their factory on Errai. However when the Succession Wars began and some of the 'Mech's components became lostech, the company was forced to produce a downgraded version, shifting what advanced technology they could produce over to try and keep the Thug line going. Finally the Wyvern factory was destroyed in 2835 by a battalion of raiders which took great pains to hide their identities. As the Third Succession War kicked off both sides wished to preserve what little remained of their infrastructures and in most cases refused to engage each other in cities or industrial complexes. This change relegated the Wyvern to fighting in other areas where speed was not a factor, such as mountainous or heavily-forested terrain.[2][5]

Despite losses suffered over the years up through to the Clan Invasion all of the Successor States could still field at least one Wyvern in their arsenal, although few variants were ever attempted. ComStar used the Wyvern to outfit their Com Guards and, in the lead-up to the Battle of Tukayyid, did modify the 'Mech into one of their so-called "Clanbusters" to better combat the threat of the Clans. It wouldn't be until 3064 that Maltex finally restarted their Wyvern production line and a series of upgrades were developed to take advantage of rediscovered lostech which would see use of the Wyvern renewed.[2]

The Wyvern carries an eclectic, but effective, mix of weapons. The primary weapon used is a Nightwind Large Laser, an old but extremely reliable weapon, in its right arm. All of the laser's components are battle-tested and quite sturdy, but are so bulky that it makes the Nightwind one of the largest military lasers ever built. The Nightwind is backed up by a pair of Starflash Small Lasers in the same location. These were later additions, but in a testament to the large laser's robustness they are able to draw power directly from the Northwind's primary feed without any loss in efficiency for any of the weapons.[3][4][2]

Additional long-range firepower comes from a Jackson Dart-10 LRM-10 launcher mounted in the center torso and fed by one ton of CASE-protected reloads in the left torso. Unfortunately the launcher is directly in front of the fusion engine and its reload feed passes dangerously close to the core. Too much heat given off by the engine can force the launcher to automatically shut down; for a MechWarrior to override this safety function could lead to the ammunition cooking off in the loading tubes. The only proven solution is to keep the engine's temperature as low as possible, which can be a problem in protracted combat situations. In stark contrast is a Totschlagen-6 SRM-6 launcher with one ton of CASE-protected reloads mounted in the right torso. While not as well known as Holly-brand launchers, the Totschlagen is sturdy and reliable with its compact ammo feed mounted directly atop the CASE, shortening reload time. The vertical assembly also allows the 'Mech to perform a "schlagen hop" - jumping up and down in place - to clear any jams.[3][4][2]

The Wyvern achieves its great maneuverability through the use of four Northrup 750 jump jets, one of each mounted in either side torso and upper legs, giving it a total jumping distance of 120 meters. It is also well protected with nine and a half tons of Kilosh 1000 armor, made possible by the use of an Endo Steel frame. Its slow top speed of 65 km/h and cruising speed of 43 km/h means the Wyvern has trouble escaping from an opponent if caught in the open, although in a built-up cityscape how fast a 'Mech can run is less of an issue.[3][4][2]

This upgrade, introduced concurrently with the original and utilized by the SLDF Royal brigades, uses an XL Engine for power. That change enabled an upgrade of the large laser to a pulse laser version and one of the small lasers to a Medium Laser, while an additional heat sink helps keep down the extra heat created by these weapons.[6] BV (2.0)= 1,006[7][8]

WVE-5Nsl

This Star League Defense Force variant has been upgraded to use an ER Large Laser instead of the large laser, ten Double Heat Sinks, replaces the SRM-6 with three Streak SRM-2 launchers with a ton of ammo between them, and adds an additional small laser to the head.[9]

WVN-5UX Wyvern City

This was designed for the SLDF as a command 'Mech for battalion commanders. This variant was equipped with an ER Large Laser, two SRM-6 launchers with ammo in CASE-protected bays, and two Vehicular Grenade Launchers for anti-infantry work. In the space that was freed by making these modifications, engineers added a Cockpit Command Console and a Supercharger which allowed the Wyvern City to sprint at up to 86 km/h. This equipment let a battalion commander coordinate the attacks of his unit, while still being able to reach trouble zones quickly. The only four prototypes were scrapped in 2687. [10] BV (2.0) = 1,273[11]

WVE-6N

The 6N Wyvern is a downgraded version of the 'Mech produced starting in 2821, with Maltex removing the Endo Steel internal structure as well as the CASE in the left and right torsos to prioritize their use on the more favored Thug. While the loss of the weight from the CASE systems somewhat offsets the weight added by losing the Endo Steel structure, the Wyvern still loses one ton of armor protection. The weapons systems, as well as the 'Mech's speed and jumping capabilities, remained unchanged, with Maltex even rerouting the LRM ammo feed during the removal of the CASE to alleviate the risk of ammunition cook-off.[4][5] BV (1.0) = 797[12] BV (2.0) = 1,005[13]

WVE-9N

One of the so-called "Clanbuster" refits developed by ComStar in 3052, the 9N takes advantage of pulse laser technology by upgrading the large laser to a Tronel XIII Large Pulse Laser and upgrades both of the small lasers to Tronel XII Medium Pulse Lasers. To facilitate this, one and a half tons of armor had to be removed and the SRM launcher has been downgraded to a highly accurate Hovertec Streak SRM-2 launcher. [14][2] BV (1.0) = 951[12], BV (2.0) = 1,067[15]

WVE-10N

Produced by Maltex on their rebuilt production lines in 3065 for the Com Guards, the 10N is an upgrade of the 9N that transforms the Wyvern from a brutal street fighter into a long-range sniper. The 'Mech's speed, jumping capabilities, and LRM-10 with CASE-protected ammo have been retained, but otherwise everything else has changed. The 10N carries eight tons of standard armor. The primary weapon has been changed from a large pulse laser to an ER PPC, while one of the medium pulse lasers and the Streak launcher was dropped. The Wyvern has also had a Guardian ECM Suite installed as well as an improved C3 computer to allow it to use targeting telemetry from its comrades. [2] BV (1.0) = 1,098[12][16], BV (2.0) = 1,199[17]

Wyvern IIC - The Wyvern was one of the 'Mechs carried on the exodus with General Kerensky and the remnants of the SLDF. The Clans have created their own variant of the Wyvern called the Wyvern IIC which is an upgraded version using Clan technology. BV (1.0) = 1,426, BV (2.0) = 1,624